Have you driven a Ford lately?

fisher83 said:
I had pretty hit or miss luck with Ford. I doubt I'll buy another. No manufacturer is perfect but after 100+ years of building cars they truly should be among the best in the world and I think they miss that mark.
Click to expand...
The thing is, Ford has done it before. I know many might disagree with me, but the 1991-2001 Explorer was an excellent product for the time. The gas mileage is bad and I have heard they are unreliable, but if I'm not driving my 25 year old Explorer to work, I'm driving my 28 year old Explorer. Quality is job 1 or something like that.
 
No complaints from me. Dad just bought an Expedition that rides very nice. No complaints minus the price. Ouch.

My work has a 2020 or so F550. I was able to drive that for a day with a dump trailer since I was the only one around who could back a trailer. No complaints from that either considering what it was. I my suspension on the stiffer side, but I can’t imagine DD’ing a heavy duty pickup. My back wouldn’t make it.
 
I have bought many many new fords, mostly trucks. My current 2001 f350 will be my last ford. I switched to toyota suvs and they are far better.
My dad has been a ford fan for 50 years.. his last cars have had many problems. He buys new or one year old full size cars.
 
I don't think they're horrible but not sure I would put one at the top of my list. I actually really like the Ecoboost 2.7. was looking into those in the F-150, but I've been reading that the cam phasers / timing issues seem to be creeping into more engines than just the 3.5.

And I've been there done that. I've had a lot of good luck with Ford vehicles with the exception of my 2010 f150 5.4. that one blew the motor at 106k miles.

And of course there's a reason I'm still holding on to the 2008 crown Vic. They're just **** good cars!
 
My Ford made by Mahindra in India has been pretty good. 2.0L "focus" Engine** has issues with fuel dilution and now noise, steering is numb and not very sharp. Other than that, very comfortable and usable for an "Around Town" car. Incredible and powerful stock radio for a base vehicle tweeter in the a pillars(!). I would NOT want to do much Interstate driving due to dart-y steering.

Reminds me I must dump the rear diff gear oil for the first and last time, Got some Valvoline synthetic 75W90 in the juice bag.
_____________________________________________
** From Cleveland, Ohio
 
Ford doesn't build sedans anymore. Even the MKZ was disco'd. That in AWD guise with a v6 would be an attractive package as an off-lease purchase, Or from Uncle Frank now that he can't drive anymore.

Oh. does that have the dreaded water pump leak in the sump issue?
 
not what they were, but is anything? Still a ford guy... one may pause when a Co. sez "we're done makin sedans'n coups".

Still waitin for an affordable (econo box) EV that might B reliable, durable, long lasting, low maintenance (at my age 'the last car').
 
Shel_B said:
How about some examples? Knowing what vehicles have issues may help others in making a buying decision.
Click to expand...
I think it's called "anecdotal evidence" when collected here. The auto writers might have the numbers? Consumer Reports soft cover books w/the Y/M/M by make & all the columnar charts... § on 'cars to avoid'; recommended, best buy, etc. Do they still make that or is EVERY thing net based now? (subscription only as well?)
 
Quattro Pete said:
Even Honda and Toyota don't make them like they used do. So what is left?
Click to expand...
No one!

Warning diatribe ahead!

We live in a world where most companies care more about share price and shareholders than they do products or customers. Gone are the days when executives make decisions that are good for the company and instead they make decisions that are good for themselves knowing full well that after their big payday they will be onto the next position and more importantly not around to deal with the aftermath.

I know a few people on Wall Street and in big business and none of them care about their work - just getting what they believe is owed to them. I know a guy who received an $8M bonus for negotiating with plants in India to buy textiles for pennies on the dollar. He put thousands of Americans out of jobs and I can assure you he didn't give it two thoughts. Boss happy, shareholders happy, bonus paid, and when they finally figure out their using child labor I'll be long gone and it's not my problems. All he knew was his contract stated his bonus was based on how much money he could save the company. That was of course 3 or 4 positions ago and so if there was any fallout he wasn't around to see it. Gone are the days where these people work their entire careers for a company and where they will be around to suffer the fallout of their decisions and instead it's just one big money grab and shareholder payoff.

I can imagine someone coming into say we have a problem late in development with a transmission and the guy in charge thinking I just need to get this model out, get paid, and by the time the warranty complaints start I'll be gone. I think even the free-market economy, which is supposed to "correct" these companies when they go off course, has a difficult time with the current level of greed.
 
PWMDMD said:
Gone are the days when executives make decisions that are good for the company and instead they make decisions that are good for themselves knowing full well that after their big payday they will be onto the next position and more importantly not around to deal with the aftermath.
Click to expand...
I hate to disagree with you... but just when was the days that companies cared about their employees? and it wasn't about the bottom line? Isn't this how capitalism works?

That it's gotten worse, I don't disagree, although I think part of that is because of cheap shipping and (perhaps) undercutting of costs by China/elsewhere so as to attract business.

PWMDMD said:
I can imagine someone coming into say we have a problem late in development with a transmission and the guy in charge thinking I just need to get this model out, get paid, and by the time the warranty complaints start I'll be gone.
Click to expand...
It doesn't take much imagination to conjure up that one. :)

if I were to put my tin-foil hat on, I'd wager it's going to get worse. Remember the days where you had people putting in decades at a company? When it was your product on the line, with your decisions, you got to "own" the success & failure. Those days seem to be gone. Used to talk about seagull managers, now I have to wonder if seagull workers is now the norm (quiet quitting? work your wage?). Now people can swoop in, score a win, swoop out before anything hits the fan. And each of them will applaud one another for doing so.

People who were content to stay for decades are going to start leaving, as they don't want to be the ones left with the mess. This in turn will have ripples as long time tribal knowledge has to get relearned, and learned yet again. [Oh wait, is that happening now?]

Sorry, I think that was my own rant...
 
C92636AE-95D1-4333-8D95-22DA48D3F097.jpeg
 
supton said:
1. I hate to disagree with you... but just when was the days that companies cared about their employees? and it wasn't about the bottom line? Isn't this how capitalism works?

That it's gotten worse, I don't disagree, although I think part of that is because of cheap shipping and (perhaps) undercutting of costs by China/elsewhere so as to attract business.


It doesn't take much imagination to conjure up that one. :)

if I were to put my tin-foil hat on, I'd wager it's going to get worse. 2. Remember the days where you had people putting in decades at a company? When it was your product on the line, with your decisions, you got to "own" the success & failure. Those days seem to be gone. Used to talk about seagull managers, now I have to wonder if seagull workers is now the norm (quiet quitting? work your wage?). 3. Now people can swoop in, score a win, swoop out before anything hits the fan. And each of them will applaud one another for doing so.

People who were content to stay for decades are going to start leaving, as they don't want to be the ones left with the mess. This in turn will have ripples as long time tribal knowledge has to get relearned, and learned yet again. [Oh wait, is that happening now?]

4. Sorry, I think that was my own rant...
Click to expand...
1. Not sure I'm following you here - I said nothing about companies not caring about employees and my rant was about employees not caring about the company.

2. This is precisely my point. Both of my grandfathers worked their entire careers for the same companies starting at entry level and working their way up to management. They took pride in their work and what they made and at least for one grandfather, not everything was a hit, but it wasn't from lack of effort or even worse intensional.

3. Exactly

4. No worries...some very good points.
 
"...has a difficult time with..." as they have no memory... or it is a short (1/4ly stock profits) memory.

I reject the 'broad brush' photo comment. I claim it asa large problem and laud some of the companies 'going the other way' (also it runs in certain industries 'less'). Most should know its a way to loose customers - in the long term. Buying up other companies to shut them down for own profit, called arbitrage in the 70s here, when it seemed to start/pick up, is still going on. It is Y my part of the country - a vertical line Spfld VT to New Haven Ct (ocean) lost its 300 yr hold on the world's tool cutting industry (machines that make machines or their parts). From the dawn of the Industrial Revolution 'we' had it (till those same '70s).
Short term out looks are not smart as the Japanese auto industry NUMI taught us. I think unions are good for our economy. They and administrations (local, state, national) balance the break neck speed corps go to for: expansion, (labeled above as) greed, competition, market share ('me only'), etc, Reminds me ofa biological process: cancer.
 
dogememe said:
Valid point, but people buy HyunKia and Stellantis left and right and up and down, come on, Ford is better than Nissan and you see Nissans everywhere despite literally every Nissan product being a steaming pile of dog poo.
Click to expand...
My 2017 Titan has been trouble free so far. My 2019 Mexican Ford Fiesta was also without problems, but admittedly I only kept it a couple of years.
 
PWMDMD said:
1. Not sure I'm following you here - I said nothing about companies not caring about employees and my rant was about employees not caring about the company.

2. This is precisely my point. Both of my grandfathers worked their entire careers for the same companies starting at entry level and working their way up to management. They took pride in their work and what they made and at least for one grandfather, not everything was a hit, but it wasn't from lack of effort or even worse intensional.

3. Exactly

4. No worries...some very good points.
Click to expand...
1. Ah, I think I missed the difference. While more effort might be going into employee retention, it's always been about the bottom line, no?

Still, I think you're right. I'm only able to view it through my lenses, but at work it sure seems like the ethic has changed. On one hand, it's good to see that people realize there is more to life than work. OTOH none of us would be here today had a couple generations not poured out hour after hour of getting stuff done--what we have didn't arise out of apathy, but by a whole lot of people doing not just their bit but a bit more than everyone else around them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
LA Sheriff has 429 Ford Crown Victorias in Service...
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
panthermike
buster
2023 Prius
Replies
15
Views
2K
ARCOgraphite
buster
2003 Honda Accord Running for Nearly a Million Miles
3 4 5
Replies
90
Views
7K
dumkid
Nick1994
2000 Chevy Metro w/400 Miles
Replies
14
Views
1K
Ws6
buster
2022 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro Leaked Images Show Imposing New Look
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
CheezWhiz
Back
Top